Chinatown eats in cool breezy NYC

Welcome back to this week’s #ShopLocalSaturday; where I highlight local eats and shops that I have visited. This week is featuring  Jaya 888  in Chinatown!

I was going to a local meet-up event in the Chinatown area and had some time before going there; grabbing some dinner would be a good idea. Getting non-Asian food in an Asian-dominate area would almost be ridiculous, in my opinion. Luckily, using my SHOP Local app; I found a cool place that I’ve been before, Jaya 888; an Asian fusion restaurant.

Entering; it was fairly empty (because I showed up just before most people get out of work), so I had the option to choose where I wanted to be seated. Around 5-5:30pm; was where I saw more people in work attire, and some tourists who came to Jaya to eat, so was lucky to grab a good seat.

Looking over the menu; it was a good mix of Chinese and Malaysian dishes. I got the roti canai for my appetizer, a Thai iced tea [of course, this is a must have!] (*pictured below), and seafood pan fried crispy noodles as my main dish (*top picture).

Since the curry dipping sauce that was with the roti was a bit spicy for me (*remember that my tolerance is super-low), it was a good thing that I had the Thai iced tea to combat the spice so that I can have the curry without my mouth beginning to burn. The curry had some chicken pieces in them, so it was a good touch for the crispy roti.

Next was the seafood noodles. Usually, the pan friend noodles that I get are of the beef kind. Every chance that I get; I do my best to eat slightly more healthy, and incorporate more seafood and chicken into my diet. The seafood mix contained shrimp, scallops, and fish, with some Chinese broccoli. The best part of this dish was the crispy noodles that crunch, just like when when leaves are stepped on during the Autumn season. Then the slightly moist noodles in the sauce; so that it’s not a completely dry dish, was a good finishing touch.

To end, I recommend Jaya 888 if you’re looking for Asian/Malaysian dishes while you’re in Chinatown, near Canal. It’s a great place if anyone is catching up with a friend and getting dinner also. Like I mentioned above, seems like a great place for those who just came out of work to eat, as it is near the City Hall area, and a lot of people in suits and work attire are coming to eat. When I come back to the Chinatown area to eat; this is one of my go-tos!

As a bonus; if you do wanna get the most bang for your buck; I’ll leave you with the following options below with my links, so that you can earn cash back on what you order while you’re at Jaya 888.

Know of any other local shops that you enjoy going to that should be highlighted? Leave a comment and let me know!

And as always,

Remember to always support your local establishments! They are a part of your community!

-The Eric Fong